Polymorphic organization of the endoplasmic reticulum of the Malpighian tubule. Evidence for a transcellular route.

Isosmotic fluid absorption carried out by many mammalian epithelia appears to be similar to the isosmotic secretion of insect epithelia such as the Malpighian tubules, which are responsible for urine formation and osmoregulation. We have studied by electron microscopy (80 kV) the three-dimensional characteristics of organelles in the Malpighian tubules of Rhodnius prolixus using thick sections (0.3-0.5 microns) and uranyl and lead impregnation. The ER presents a different organization in the upper (distal) and lower (proximal) segments of the Malpighian tubule. In distal secretory segment, the ER forms a network made of chains of vesicles having irregular shapes (ca. 0.06 micron in diameter) connected to each other by canaliculi while in the lower absorptive segment, the ER is made of parallel saccules arranged in stacks or whorls in the central region of the cytoplasm. In both segments, the ER network extends throughout the cytoplasm from the basolateral infoldings to the apex between the many mitochondria present in these two areas. A unique feature of these cells, revealed by thick sections, is the presence in each microvillus of either a mitochondrion or an ER canaliculus in continuity with the ER network. The ER does not seem to have any specific association with mitochondria or other organelles. As in the mammalian nephron, this ER organization is most likely related to specific segmental functions and adds support to its potential role as a transcellular epithelial route.